Team Boreal will present their two innovations, The Circ-suit and The Osiris to judges at the Conrad Challenge Innovation Summit.

A team of five students from St John’s Anglican College, Forest Lake, Brisbane have been named as finalists in the 2018-2019 Conrad Challenge and will travel to Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Merritt Island, Florida, from April 23-26 to participate in the 2019 Innovation Summit alongside teams from around the world. The Conrad Challenge is an annual event that unleashes the potential of students to leave their mark on the world, using their innovation and entrepreneurial skills to address some of the most pressing global challenges.

Team Boreal is comprised of Year 11 students: Monique Cleveland, Aaliyah Field, Tamara Johnston, Sanvi Mehta and Jasmin Shearer and team coach Mr Nathan King. They are competing in the Challenge’s Aerospace & Aviation and Smoke-Free World categories with their innovations, The Circ-suit and The Osiris. The Circ-Suit combines existing technologies, compression clothing and mechanical arm braces in an innovative way to help astronauts prevent muscle loss and reduce exercise time. The Osiris is a sustainable and affordable windrower which, in tandem with the use of rapeseeds, aims to repurpose the land that was previously used for tobacco plantations.

Nathan King, the Innovation Coordinator at St John’s Anglican College, and National Coordinator of the Australian Conrad Challenge, has helped guide the team through the challenge process, which began mid-2018 and extended over the team’s summer holidays. The students refined their business plans which were then reviewed and scored by subject matter expert judges.
Nathan King said “The Conrad Challenge is an intensive, multi-stage event that gives students opportunities to effect real change. What I love about the Challenge is the fact that while it emphasises STEM skills, it requires students of every skillset to come together to make an effective team. The experience continues to be rewarding for each student that takes part in it.”

The 36 finalist teams in the 2018-19 Conrad Challenge come from 10 different countries: Australia, Bangladesh, India, Malawi, Nigeria, Qatar, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, and the United States. Finalists were selected from a group of over 400 teams who entered the Challenge and submitted an investor pitch. Each team is made up of 2-5 students between the ages of 13-18 who have innovated a new product in one of six categories: Aerospace & Aviation; Cyber-Technology & Security; Energy & Environment; Health & Nutrition; Smoke-Free World; and Transforming Education with Technology.

“The Conrad Challenge goes beyond ‘out of the box thinking.’ Instead, we encourage students to engage in ‘no box thinking.’ an opportunity to create solutions without boundaries. The result is ideas that are creative and extraordinary,” said Nancy Conrad, founding chairman of the Conrad Foundation. “Our 2018-19 Finalists have
developed a diverse portfolio of innovations focused on addressing global and local challenges. I am excited to welcome these amazing young entrepreneurs to the 2019 Innovation Summit.”
The Conrad Challenge is now in its 13th year. In those years, more than 6,000 students have participated in the Challenge, hailing from more than 70 countries. To learn more about the competition’s history and impact, visit www.stjohnsanglicancollege.com.au or www.conradchallenge.org.